Michigan Technological University Digital Commons @ Michigan Tech Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports 2017 SOURCE PROTECTION AND DRINKING WATER QUALITY IN THE COMARCA NGÄBE-BUGLÉ, PANAMA Leigh Miller Michigan Technological University, [email protected] Copyright 2017 Leigh Miller Recommended Citation Miller, Leigh, "SOURCE PROTECTION AND DRINKING WATER QUALITY IN THE COMARCA NGÄBE-BUGLÉ, PANAMA", Open Access Master's Thesis, Michigan Technological University, 2017. https://doi.org/10.37099/mtu.dc.etdr/365 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/etdr SOURCE PROTECTION AND DRINKING WATER QUALITY IN THE COMARCA NGÄBE-BUGLÉ, PANAMA By Leigh Burgess Miller A THESIS Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE In Civil Engineering MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY 2017 © 2017 Leigh Burgess Miller This thesis has been approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in Civil Engineering. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Thesis Advisor: Dr. David Watkins, Jr. Committee Member: Dr. Brian D. Barkdoll Committee Member: Dr. Kari B. Henquinet Department Chair: Dr. David Hand Table of Contents Preface ........................................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements....................................................................................................................... vi List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................... vii Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... viii 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1 2. Methods ................................................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Study sites ........................................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Sampling procedure ............................................................................................................ 4 2.3 Sanitary survey .................................................................................................................... 5 2.4 Microbiological quality test ................................................................................................ 6 2.5 Other water quality parameters ......................................................................................... 7 2.6 Data analysis ....................................................................................................................... 7 3. Results ...................................................................................................................................... 9 3.1 Water quality parameters ................................................................................................... 9 3.2 Odds ratios ........................................................................................................................ 10 3.2.1 Sanitary survey ........................................................................................................... 11 3.2.2 Season ........................................................................................................................ 14 3.2.3 Weather ..................................................................................................................... 14 3.2.4 Cerro Ceniza and Cerro Iglesias ................................................................................. 15 3.3 Data quality control .......................................................................................................... 15 3.3.1 Multi-plate samples ................................................................................................... 15 3.3.2 Comparison to MINSA data ....................................................................................... 15 4. Discussion ............................................................................................................................... 16 4.1 Assessment of results ....................................................................................................... 16 4.1.1 Sanitary surveys ......................................................................................................... 17 4.1.2 Season and weather................................................................................................... 17 4.1.3 Protected lands .......................................................................................................... 17 4.1.4 Data quality control ................................................................................................... 17 4.1.5 Opportunities for further study ................................................................................. 17 4.2 Community management in the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé .................................................. 18 4.3 Implementation challenges .............................................................................................. 19 iii 4.3.1 Animals within 10 meters .......................................................................................... 21 4.3.2 Cleaning spring capture structures ............................................................................ 22 5. Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 22 References .................................................................................................................................. 24 Appendices .................................................................................................................................. 28 Appendix A - Notes on additional criteria for sanitary survey responses .............................. 28 Appendix B - Statistical formulas ............................................................................................ 29 Appendix C - Complete odds ratio tables ............................................................................... 30 Appendix D – Water quality parameters ................................................................................ 43 Appendix E – Source improvement budgets .......................................................................... 44 Appendix F – Permission letter for Figure 2 ........................................................................... 45 iv Preface The data collection and analysis, as well as writing were the sole work of the author, Leigh Burgess Miller, with advice and editing primarily by David Watkins and additional review by Kari Henquinet and Brian Barkdoll. A modified version of this thesis is planned for journal submission in the near future. v Acknowledgements I owe great thanks to Dr. David Watkins for all his help transforming my moldy notes into something logical and readable. I also thank Dr. Kari Henquinet and Dr. Brian Barkdoll for their guidance. Many thanks to Leyre Alegre-Figuero for editing the Spanish translation of my abstract. I received help and wisdom from many organizations in Panama including CATHALAC, MINSA—in particular Yireh Concepción, and MiAmbiente. The Peace Corps Panama office staff inspired and encouraged me throughout my time in Panama. In particular, I’d like to thank Franklin Cano and Laura Havenga for helping me find online data, Jessica Glenn for her excellent construction material price guide, and Melissa Meno and Antonella Finis for being great supervisors The many water committee members and community leaders, who gave their time and energy to guide me to sample sites, include Eliser Andrade, Ariel Arena, Abelardo Armuelles, Horacio Flores, Eufemia Gallardo, Tino Gallardo, Isael Pedrol, Alfredo Pinto, and Alexis Rodriguez. I am especially thankful to Jose Chavez, Miguel Mora, and Narciso Vejerano for their friendship, enthusiasm, and emotional support. The Vejeranos, my host family, truly helped me survive. They taught me everything from washing clothes on a rock to using icy hot on scorpion stings, and so much in between. Peace Corps volunteers who opened their homes, hearts, and big brains to help me complete this project include Erin Storck, Eric Balas, Sean Schrag-Toso, Carl Evans, Jordan Mayer, the Puerco power crew: Marlana Hinkley and Maria Briones, and the incomparable MC Moritz. Eternal gratitude to Katie Snyder, who hiked in glass jars of pesto. Lastly, I am incredibly grateful to my family: my parents, who braved the jungle to visit and support me; Darby, my “mule” and benefactor; Martina, Megan, and Gwenn for video-chatting despite many dropped calls; and Rob Clark, for everything. vi List of Abbreviations ANAM Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente—National Environmental Authority, now MiAmbiente CATHALAC Centro del Agua del Trópico Húmedo para America Latina y el Caribe—Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and The Caribbean CAWST Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology CFU Colony-Forming Units CI Confidence Interval COPANIT Comisión Panameña de Normas Industriales y Técnicas—Panamanian Commission on Technical and Industrial Rules DGNTI Dirección General de Normas y Tecnología Industrial—General